Simpleman

@octoolguy Yes, Hawks & Hegners have great parts availability. The Hawks started out with belts and 2 groove pulleys that offered 2 speeds. Over the years they have made many improvements. As far as I know most any Hawk can be upgraded if you have a fat wallet. The blade clamping and tensioning systems are the major changes. And they wen't through a period of time that they had motor problems. If you find a saw with a Fasco motor that is one to walk away from. Not all bad but why take a chance? There is a ton of info on the Bushton site so if you have a serial number you can find out a lot about a saw. And all the manuals are available. As for Hegner pretty much the same goes for them. Except the motor problem. I've never heard of them having any problems. Great customer service too. They are sold by Advanced Machinery in Delaware and Wolfgang is their contact man. Parts are expensive but luckily nothing much wears out on them. If you find a saw and want help just let us know. Very good information! Thank you!

@octoolguy Oddly, I'd like to do more tiling - just for practice. Only done it once. The tile saw I rented was the least pleasurable part. I missed sawdust.

@carl1 Well, I have a table saw and a sliding/compound miter saw. Router w/table. Lots of hand tools. I never bought a band saw. I never bought a scroll saw, either. Most of what I do isn't done in my garage. I load up my stuff and head to where the job is. Tools that are mounted in place haven't been historically useful to me for that reason, but I'm getting interested more in finer-quality, higher-detail work in different woods as I age, so I suppose you're correct; I'm gonna have to add to my collection. Additionally, I need a "shop". I've never really needed one of those, either. I'll eventually need a bevy of new tools!

@octoolguy Well, this why I came here to learn! Anything you can tell me offhand? In other words, is there something I'm missing about the tool due to my ignorance? I'm all ears! I'm not being sarcastic; I'm learning about this stuff from the ground up. I recall seeing a scroll saw in my high school wood shop 30 years ago. Both sides of the bow\arms were exposed and looked like they were cast together/the same part with a blade suspended in-between the tips, violently shaking up and down while someone moved a piece of wood in bizarre directions. I remember that it was noisy, like a great big sewing machine. It kinda looked like old,old sewing machine technology, like it once had foot pedals attached to it to make it move, but then electricity was invented. I made things that didn't need it, and then proceeded to forget scroll saws exist for most of my life. Do high schools still have wood shops? If I knew then what I know now, I'd have spent as much time there as I could have. It's about the only useful information you get in high school. I haven't seen a hawk yet around me on craigslist. Lots of 'new' smaller saws that someone bought and obviously didn't enjoy for whatever reason. Lots of old craftsman saws, too. I definitely don't want something I can't get parts for if I need one. I noticed Hawk sells pretty much every part of their saws individually, should something break.

Here's a question for anyone still following this - do your saws cut other materials? Are they all essentially built to do so with the correct blade? I was reading the hawk tools website, and am kind of impressed that you can cut pretty much anything with them -of course, I'd be into at least $1500 before even getting any accessories for it, but I can also keep a look out for one for sale on craigslist. I might mention that I spent a decade as a mechanic, something you never really quit doing, even when you aren't on the line anymore, and shaping metal to my needs is a handy ability to have, and one I'm severely limited on with my current tool set. Being limited to working around other people's ideas is part of what made me look for something more fulfilling, but I've never stopped using it, and I know people on the full-custom and auto restoration side of things. I know this is a far cry from machine shop tools, but I can see making billet engine-driven accessory brackets and custom interior parts, and all manner of other items that always suck or maybe don't even exist on cars, but you always want them. They'd all have to be non-lathe-built parts, but there are plenty of those around every car. Even just custom metal, fiber. graphite and wooden trim and inlays are in demand for restorations and custom cars. I was a bit worried that the applications would be a little too much on the art side of things. I don't wonder why people like things like that; they're neat - I am so practical in that regard that I only recognize that things that don't serve a function still have to be cleaned. I have zero decorations in my home for that reason, save a few framed items on the wall. No judgment to anyone else - I know I'm the weird one. Anyway, does anyone cut metal or any other materials on their saws? This has piqued my interest anew. I wonder what thicknesses of metals can be cut, or if anything is impossible to work with on a scroll saw, provided it doesn't exceed the throat clearance. Hawk even has glass cutting blades. It's pretty enticing.

@CSull I was " Scroll curious" when I got into scrolling. I found a Dewalt with all the accessories on Craig's list for $300. I haven't given the idea up yet. I've had my eye on craigslist for something attractive with the accessories, too. I got a lot of info on here, for sure. The project I wanted to make with it may even be too simple to benefit from the presence of a scroll saw, but after seeing what I can do with one, I'm keeping my eyes peeled.

@octoolguy Thank you! I knew there was a way to do it, but I'm unfamiliar with this platform. That bowl looks like it took a lot of dedication. It's beautiful. I have to admit that the inlay (?) in the bottom dish is interesting to me. I always wondered how people did that. I'd be interested in creating mosaic pictures. It would be about as close to purely ornamental as I would get. It seems like it'd be a good skill to have for making decorative accents in furniture, too. Very nice work. My interest in US-made gear is highest, as I think we should be supporting the economy of the region we live in, but my main concern is quality control. China has a bad record there. I'd gladly use a German or Swiss tool, even if it's made in Taiwan, as long as it's good. I'd use a Chinese tool if it was truly a quality tool, but their record in that regard has caused me to default as far from that potential garbage as possible. That isn't the first time I've read that Excalibur turned to garbage when they switched to Chinese manufacturing, either, and I've only been looking into this for a couple of days now. That doesn't bode well for them.

Kmmcrafts, I don't want to get too personal, but would it be ok to ask how much business you do? I don't want a dollar amount; I guess I'm asking if you could hypothetically live solely off of your scroll saw work. You don't have to tell me if you do or not. You have a LOT of impressive items on your website. I cannot even imagine the number of hours you put into just what I see online. It would be interesting to know if it's a decent profit generator. Even if it just paid for your own woodworking addiction, it'd be worthwhile to me. Don't worry, I'm not likely to be competing with you at any point soon. I don't even know what I'd make yet. Or own a saw. Or have any ideas.

I responded to everyone in that last long one I wrote, I think. I realize there's nothing highlighting other peoples' names.

Have any of you made a functioning lock with tumblers out of wood?

WayneMahler, thank you for your input. My problem with jig saws is simply that the unfixed end of the blade can (and often does) walk out from under the cut line. I'm actually pretty skilled at controlling tools once I get used to using them. I can take a jig saw though, follow a line perfectly on top of the board, the tool flatly resting on the piece being worked on, no hard pressures being applied, flip it over, and the blade has walked to find the easier cuts between the softer grains. (I assume this is what's happening.) The blade appears to be perfectly straight to look at it static. On a thin piece of flat plywood shelving for garage storage, it's no big deal. For something thicker that will be on display, the deviation can be immense, and devastating to the piece, so it then has to be remade. I admit fully that I'm probably not doing something correctly, using the wrong blade, cutting outside of the tool's recommended thickness or maybe the guide plate is bent, and no amount of adjustment to "0" will do anything to aid me. I can't count the number of times I've seen a power hand tool fall to the floor; as careful as I am, it's even happened to some of my own. Knowing that the guide plates on things like a $30 jig saw are made out of stamped garbage thin-gauge steel, (in my personal opinion) it wouldn't surprise me to learn that half of the tools I've ever used are bent in that way. I admit that maybe buying a $30 jig saw isn't recommended. Maybe it's all me. At any rate, I try to avoid jig saws on display pieces for that reason alone. That led to this thread. My main curiosity regarding a scroll saw is whether or not I'd use it. I can't ask that question specifically here. None of you can answer that for me, so I decided to be more specific and ask what else a scroll saw can do. kmmcrafts (thank you, sir) had a good answer there by listing a bunch of things I could make with one, which is kinda what I was hoping for without knowing it. While I honestly can't see myself making some of that stuff, they sparked a couple of ideas. I'm still unsold at this particular moment in time, but I will own one eventually, I think. I still don't know what I'd make, but certainly I could fit it in somewhere. I like to make wooden latches and hooks and catches and whatnot when I build storage spaces. This seems like something I could get way better accuracy with and make more complex machinations than I can even think of right now. I seriously keep it simple usually, but I've been doing more things like custom closet storage and whatnot, and having certain types of detail control might be nice. octoolguy, I envy your find in the $1500 saw for $250. I'll be keeping an eye on craigslist. I also agree that I probably need both a band saw and a scroll saw. The "made in USA tag is important to me, too. There's a lot of garbage being imported these days. Additionally, I simply don't know a lot of the brands that are available. You can't see everything in stores these days, and while I feel fine buying a drill at home depot, I know I should probably be more particular with something like this for some reason. Tomanydogs, I'm fortunate to have a heavy wooden workbench to clamp or screw the scroll saw to. Given the reciprocating nature of a scroll saw, it may not be enough, but I have tools and the mind to fix that if I need to. Also, I had considered the cheaper scroll saw carefully. I think one of the things that initially steered me away from it is that I thought I could cut thick wood with it. Although I know I can cut thicker wood than I should be cutting with one, it seems that scroll saw work is best left to 3/4" or thinner, and I've had several people tell me thinner yet. I never had any intention of ripping hardwood boards with it, but it's even more fragile than I knew. I had hoped that standard 2x pine framing lumber could be used, as I mostly do practical things with wood, but it seems that's even iffy. Here's a list of things I think I want in a scroll saw when I find. Can anyone tell me if I'm on the right track? 1. tilting head, not tilting table 2. foot pedal (I suppose I could add this to any of them) 3. the ability to take all styles of blades Is two-direction useful? I saw that on an ad. There's a WEN at home depot that specifically states two direction. I'm not going after the brand name, but if that's a useful feature, I'll look for it. OK, I write too much.

I'm ignorant of name brands right now. They're mostly made in China. I believe in supporting the companies and people in the land I live in. When you guys need home depot grade tools, what name brands do you trust? How about better grade tools? This applies to all tools. I build stuff constantly. I've never had any formal training, just stuff I've picked up along the way. It's fun. I intend to keep going, and event to get bigger and fancier. I'd like to build my own house one day. In the meantime, are there any known brands that still manufacture in the US? Any brands stand out above the rest for you?

Jollyred, Thanks for replying. I finally read something about the limitations regarding the thickness of the wood. Finding useful information online is hard to do sometimes these days. There were mentions regarding the "throat" as well. I haven't looked up any tool diagrams yet, but I assume that's the distance between the top blade holder and the tabletop. I'm certain I don't have some terms right. I was hoping to be able to cut thicker wood, though 3/4 would more than work for the project at hand. I dislike jig saws because the tip of the blade 'walks' with the grain sometimes and causes uneven cuts no matter how slow and controlled I am. Unfortunately, for what I'm doing, and what the tool is used for most, I think I'd be better off right now with a hole saw and a jig saw - and sand paper. Preprius, Thank you for replying. Everything you said makes sense. I was going to get a $130.00 model to make the rod holders from, but I knew in the back of my mind that while I wasn't getting the bottom of the barrel model, most of the problems I would encounter would have to do with my inexperience and the limitations of the tool. A pivoting table instead of a pivoting head just gave me an uneasy feeling by itself. I saw way better models online used, still for more money, but my biggest fear from the second I started looking is that a weak tool will produce weak results with greater effort, and I expected fragile blades to begin with if you don't know what you're doing, but cheap tools usually equals a harder time in my experience in all areas, blade breakage being one of them. I think a scroll saw is one that I'll wait on until I can get a nice one with all the features I want and a dedicated stand. Until then, there's more than one way to skin a cat, and I'm pretty resourceful. I had hoped to learn a new tool - hopefully the best for the job by such a longshot that I'd be a fool not to use one, but it's looking like my options are relatively equal for this specific project, so I think I'll wing it now and get something worthwhile in the future to play with. My interests lie primarily in the practical at the moment, but as I evolve, I expect to get more intricate and artistic. I want to make fine hardwood furniture some day - just for myself, really - and I know that the things a scroll saw can do will help me make it have stupid little features like I like to give my larger projects. Little hidden compartments and stuff. Thank you both for your input!

Ok, I want to build some fishing rod holders. I figure I can give everything from garage finish level to log cabin style to something you'd find in a hardwood-and-leather-laden study a shot, but I'm going to start with one for my neighbor's garage. I've never owned a scroll saw, and though I'm no stranger to woodworking, my forte is typically something I have to frame first, so I have some questions: 1. Is a scroll saw the right tool for this job? Would a band saw be better? I think a scroll saw would be more versatile than a band saw, but only for detail work, where a band saw could also be used for larger projects. A scroll saw will be way more flexible and probably easier to use on curves and for better detail. 2. Are there more practical uses for scroll saws than things that look neat? What can I use a scroll saw for in daily projects or for things that are more about function than decoration? Has anyone had an experience where they were doing something around the house and used the scroll saw to save a lot of time on something? 3. Should I spend the money on a rotating body saw, or will I be satisfied with a tilting table model? The price difference is huge, and I'm a beginner. 4. I have a gift card to Home Depot. Any recommendations from there? How is Shop Fox brand? It says they're made in the US on their site, but I don't know if that applies to their home depot level equipment. Do you recommend any specific brands available at Home Depot? I'm pretty insterested in using that gift card on a new tool. I hope this isn't too much to get some responses on. I appreciate the help.